


Sugar and Spice

by starstarfairy



Series: RinHaru Week 2019 [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22042753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstarfairy/pseuds/starstarfairy
Summary: Haruka has a surprise for Rin.RinHaruWeek 2019, Day 5 - Dreams, Red prompt: Future Fish (with a little bit of the AU prompt Coffee Shop sprinkled in there)
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Series: RinHaru Week 2019 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584949
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49
Collections: Rin & Haru Week





	Sugar and Spice

**Author's Note:**

> I almost flipped a coin to decide whether I should write Splash Free or Future Fish for this day, but then I remembered I already have 2 Splash Free WIPs. So Future Fish it was.
> 
> Seriously, someone please name my fics for me.

“What’s on the menu today, Nanase?” Rin leaned over the counter as seductively as he knew how, wiggling his butt for good measure.

Haruka rolled his eyes. “The same as every day.”

“No specials?” Rin waggled his eyebrows.

“No. Go away. I’m trying to open.”

Rin pushed away from the counter with an overly dramatic flourish. “Fine, fine,” he sighed. “At least make me a coffee before kicking me out.”

Haruka held out his hand. “200 yen,” he deadpanned.

“Aw, no freebies for an officer of the law?” Rin smiled innocently.

“No.”

“No lovers’ discount?”

Haruka wiggled his fingers. “200 yen, Rin.”

“Stingy.” Rin handed Haruka the money anyway.

Haruka fixed him a coffee in silence, but when he handed the cup to Rin, there was a heart drawn in the milk.

“Awwww,” Rin crooned. “You love me.”

Haruka snorted. “Obviously, or I wouldn’t let you sit here while I’m trying to prepare six different kinds of pastries at once.”

“That kid isn’t here to help you? What’s-his-name.” Some of the milk stuck to his upper lip.

“Takahashi.” Haruka reached out with a napkin to wipe Rin’s face. Rin wrinkled his nose, but he let it happen. “He’s sick today. So just me.”

“Too bad,” said Rin.

“Mm. You’d better get going, if you don’t want to be late,” Haruka said.

Rin glanced at his watch. “Oh _shit._ ” He chugged the rest of his coffee, coughed a little, and leaned over the counter for a kiss. Haruka obliged. “See you later. Let me know what you want for dinner and I’ll pick something up. Don’t say mackerel, we had that yesterday.” He fastened his cap on his head, giving Haruka a grin. “I’m off!”

“Take care,” Haruka called, watching him scurry out the door. His eyes lingered there for a moment before he headed back into the kitchen, placing the empty cup into the dishwasher on the way.

* * *

Haruka was not baking six different kinds of pastries that morning.

He had croissants, of course, and the odd danish. The scones were already in the oven, but those didn’t really count as pastry, anyway.

No, what Haruka was _really_ baking was his fourth--or fifth?--attempt at a spice cake. Not too sweet, not too strong on flavor, just the right complement to a cup of coffee. At least, that’s what he’d been going for. The first attempt was too sweet, and a little dry, so he cut back on the white sugar and added more milk. Then the cake had nearly fallen apart, and it tasted bland anyway, because he had somehow, ludicrously, forgotten to add salt.

Haruka normally didn’t fail this spectacularly when trying a new recipe, but this was a special case. His most recent attempt had been nearly perfect. He had been toying with the idea of changing the number of eggs, but eventually decided to leave it alone.

Of course, asking Rin to taste-test would have been out of the question. Haruka wanted to give him a treat that was nothing less than perfection. The idea of Rin making a face as he took a bite--or worse, giving him a patronizing smile and eating it despite his distaste--plagued him.

No, it had to be perfect the first time Rin tasted it.

Haruka tied his apron and rolled up his sleeves. Hopefully his fifth--or sixth?--attempt would be a success.

* * *

“I’m hooooome,” Rin called from the doorstep. He kicked off his shoes and hung up his hat and belt, running a hand through his hair absentmindedly. He juggled a paper bag of groceries in one arm. “Haruuuu, you here?”

“Welcome home, Rin.”

Rin blinked. “...Why is it so dark in here? Haru, where are you?”

“...In here.”

Rin felt along the wall for the light switch. “Haru, I swear, if you’re gonna attack me with a water gun or something, I’m going back… out…”

The lights in the front room clicked on. Haruka knelt at the low table, in perfect seiza, a box tied with a red ribbon on the table in front of him.

“...Oh my god,” Rin groaned. “Did I somehow forget our anniversary?”

“No,” Haruka shook his head.

“...It’s not my birthday. Or yours.”

Haruka shook his head again. “Do I need a special occasion to treat you, Rin?”

Rin sat carefully--albeit much more casually--beside Haruka, setting the groceries on the table. “Uh. How long have you been sitting like that in the dark for?”

Haruka rolled his eyes. “Just open the box, Rin.”

Rin pulled the ribbon carefully undone, cracking open the lid. “Huh?” He opened it further. “It’s… a cake?”

“...Yes?”

Rin looked at Haruka incredulously. “You made me a cake.”

Haruka shuffled to sit more firmly on the floor, closer to Rin. “...Do you want to try it?”

Rin glanced at the brown bag on the table. “Shouldn’t we have dinner first?”

“...We can have a piece now, and a piece later.”

Rin smacked his lips in thought. “Well. Maybe just a little piece.”

Haruka produced a plate and silverware (“Were you sitting on those?!” “No.”) and handed them to Rin. Rin cut himself a sliver, setting it on the plate. “You know,” he said, “I appreciate that there’s no frosting.”

Haruka leaned in a bit, eyes wide.

Rin laughed. “Alright, I’ll try it. Calm down.” He raised a forkful to his mouth, taking a tentative bite.

“Well?”

Rin’s eyes lit up. “It’s really good!”

Haruka breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad.”

Rin took another bite of cake. “Were you worried I wasn’t gonna like it? I like everything you make. Even those stupid fish buns, which are so good it’s unfair.”

Haruka looked away, a blush touching his cheeks. “This one’s different.”

“How so?”

“Because… I made this recipe for you.”

Rin swallowed.

“You say you don’t like sweet things, but you like some sweet things, sometimes,” Haruka said softly. “So I wanted to make something I could be sure you liked.”

“Haru…” Rin laughed. “And you said there was nothing special on the menu today.”

Haruka huffed. “I wasn’t sure if it would work this time.”

Rin cocked an eyebrow. “‘This time’?”

Haruka fiddled with his thumbs. “...This might be the fifth or sixth time I’ve tried. I can’t remember.”

Rin dropped his fork, scooching over to wrap his arms around Haruka’s shoulders. “Thank you, Haru,” he said, with as much feeling as he could muster. “It’s great.” He kissed the blush dusting Haruka’s cheek.

Haruka pouted to mask his smile. “What’s for dinner?”

Rin squeezed him. “Anything you like.”

“Great.” Haruka stood suddenly. “I have mackerel marinating in the fridge.”

“Haruuu,” Rin whined dramatically, “we had mackerel yesterday.”

“You like everything I make,” Haruka called over his shoulder, already heading for the kitchen.

“Damn it,” Rin grumbled. “Remind me to never say anything nice to you ever again.”

“Stop grumbling and help me chop vegetables.”

Rin smiled to himself, closing the lid on the cake box. “Be right there.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know who Takahashi is either. It was the first name that came to mind.
> 
> I'm not the best at baking cakes, but I love baking cookies. I spent half this fic staring at recipes for spice cake trying to bake them in my head and figure out how they would come out. At least I have a new recipe to try now, so that's neat!
> 
> Thank you for reading, as always~


End file.
